Four gunmen riding on two motorcycles opened fire on the bus with automatic weapons. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE

QUETTA:

Gunmen mowed down a group of would-be migrants in Turbat district near the Iranian border on Friday, killing at least 18 people and injuring another two in what appears to be an ethnically-motivated attack.

Abdul Razzaq Sasoli, the acting assistant commissioner, confirmed the death count. Those attacked were trying to travel with the help of smugglers to Europe through Iran, he said.

The victims – mostly from Punjab – travelled from Karachi to Turbat in a passenger bus which dropped them in the Dasht area, according to sources.

“They were waiting for their agent (a human smuggler) in a deserted place in the Shooli Jam Bazaar area, around 20 kilometres from the Iranian border, when four gunmen riding on two motorcycles opened fire on them with automatic weapons,” one source told The Express Tribune.

Balochistan Levies official Mohammad Saleem, however, claimed the men were targeted when they boarded a pick-up truck for their onward journey to Iran.

Sources said 14 of the victims belonged to Punjab, while the rest were from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Levies officials drove the casualties to a local hospital. The bodies were sent to Punjab and K-P after medico-legal formalities. The injured have been admitted for treatment of their wounds which were not life-threatening, medics said.

A purported spokesperson for the group, Meeran Baloch, told Quetta-based journalists in a phone call that the men were killed for their ethnic affiliation. He warned that a similar fate awaits anyone from Punjab trying to use this Balochistan route.

An array of insurgent groups has been fighting a protracted insurgency in Balochistan, demanding more autonomy and control over the natural resources of the province.

Settlers, especially from Punjab, have been repeatedly targeted by these groups who consider them ‘usurpers’.

The difficult and little monitored route where Friday’s attack took place is mainly used by illegal immigrants for their journey to Eastern Europe via Iran.

Human traffickers prefer this route to dodge Iranian border guards, while Pakistani security officials allegedly turn a blind eye to this illegal business in return for hefty amounts of money.

Iran hands over dozens of illegal Pakistani immigrants almost daily to the district officials at the Taftan border crossing. Tehran has protested to Islamabad umpteen times over this human trafficking business – but to no avail.

There was no official word on the grisly incident from the Frontier Corps, which is responsible for the border security with Iran — from Jiwani to Malik Sia Koh in Chagai district and near the Afghan border.

For how long will this ethnic cleansing of Punjabis continue? After this attack,an impression was created by social media activists that this was a sectarian massacre when infact it was genocide of punjabis in balochistan.The social media activists who made hashtags trend on twitter & who tweeted their outrage over the sectarian attack didn’t correct the claims they had spread on twitter even when the truth about this ethnic attack came to light.

Why did our news channels create the impression and propagate this narrative that this barbarism was religiously motivated terrorism? Even after the terrorist group behind it had claimed responsibility the channels continued to mislead the public.
it was a racist attack targetting punjabi civilians who were looking for jobs overseas.

When radicalized judges sit in the courts, who continue to free terrorists and after retirement defend killers and confessed terrorists, refuse to take suo motto against the butchering of innocent civilians, there remains no doubt whose side they are on, and that despite their tall claims, they are least concerned with the lives of the ordinary. And this pains the law loving pakistanis.

The hypocrisy of socail media warriors was plain to see on this issue.When the first news of this massacre came,all the usual champions of human rights expressed their fury and horror at the sectarian terrorism,but when things became clear that it was ethnic terrorism against punjabis,the same champions of human rights went completely silent,not one tweet of condemnation,not an iota of outrage expressed.
Why doesn’t the targetted murder of Punjabi labourers count as a human rights violation for our social media activists?

Repeat of 71 in the offing. in 1971 Bengalis started killing west pakistanis first in a similar manner and then completely wiped out the genocide of beharis from their history books. Now Baloch are doing the same and when the army will take action, it will be called genocide.

Why you all start blaming chief justice for this stuff? Why don’t you blame the people who are actually responsible i.e. Zardari, Aslam Raisani and Kayani? Why dragging chief justice in every case? He is not responsible for anything happening around the country – its the government’s responsibility to act. Since this is an incumbent and failed government which is baby-sitted by army, therefore, the ultimate responsibility of security related issues lies with army personnel and border security forces – not with the chief justice~! Long live chief justice! long live Pakistan!

@jibran:
How it is CJ’s fault? Please enlighten me with your twisted logic. Courts do not make any laws they just interpret them. Its the job of parliament which is too busy making dual nationalities legal. Last time I checked name of Prime Minister of Pakistan was Raja Rental not Iftikhar Javied, so please do not try using your stupid logic to blame courts for every thing. The terrorists are freed because of lack of evidence and countless loopholes with in the system not because of the personal bias of judges, further more these terrorist groups threaten every one, included security officials and judges. Now you can continue your work as a circus clown or the least funny stand up comedian.

The violence in Baluchistan have reached new levels and I would suggest that every one should carry weapons like the Chief Minister Riasani, so atleast if some one trys to kill you you can take one or two with you.

What else do we need to realize that Pakistan is a state being governed by a failed government.

once again shias have been martyred.more public inquiries but no action.No suo moto initiated by the slaves of wahabis!!!!Pakistan a lowest of the low bandit country.Imran Khan why no tsunami ?Looks like you are no different from them!!!

Baloch Liberation TIGER? HMMMM.. TIGER??? That Reminds me of Tamil TIGERS!! All these Tigers are Fabricated in the Terrorism Factory of Our Neighbor who is Self-Sufficient in STATE TERRORISM. Get those Terrorists and You will find Hindu Terrorists Behind this game. India is an Old Hand in this since a very long time. This whole Plot is Manned and financed By the Hindu RAW.

And what makes Punjabi’s so special in relation to other ethnic attacks? You have to learn how to speak my friend. Your assertion that this is different because Punjabi’s were the victims will keep people from being compassionate. It also shows your lack of compassion for others in the same position.

@abbas: Open your eyes champion of human rights. It have nothing to do with Shias. They were killed because they were Punjabis. In this month alone more than 30 Punjabis have been killed but all parties including PMLN and Tsunami Champion and so called soon to be prime minister are totally silent.

Punjab had it coming. They have been dominating every sector of Pakistan since its inception – be it economic, political etc. You only have to compare the living standards of cities like Multan, Lahore and Sialkot with cities like Ziarat, Quetta, Gwadar, Thatta and Badin.

Yes Humayun. It is India who is killing innocent people in Pakistan. In fact the mob that lynched two brothers in Sialkot was a Hindu mob. The mob that burned a deranged person to death was also a Hindu mob.

Your comments remind me of one thing – 1971.

Prior to the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971, people just like Humayun were accusing Hindus of conspiracy to break up Pakistan. And your wish came true. This time, it will come true again.

I am happy. Indians are happy. You should be happy too. Soon you will have lesser area, lesser headache to manage.

It is my request to Punjab government that since they were poor migrants who choose to go that way kindly compensate them and also give their family with some money as those who were killed were either teens or very young people. Also please make arrangements to bring their bodies back to Punjab as whatever thay have agents usually took away from them and now their familes have nothing except misery.

So all those who always say that the state or agencies are involved in any attack that happens on shias or baloch because apparently nothing can happen without the approval of agencies, what about this incident? Is the establishment or so called “deep state” killing Punjabi civilians as well? How does this “logic” work now?

I think its rather unfair that people try to blame Chief Justice whenever something bad happens in the country. All you people please be a little bit reasonable. When people die in sectarian violence its the security forces to blame,. If the security forces don’t do their duty right its your elected representatives to blame because they are inept and fail to protect you. And because you voted them into the parliament that makes you directly responsible for choosing most corrupt and inept leaders.
The current chief Justice is perhaps the most hyper active CJ our country has ever seen. At least he is trying his level best to make a change.

Nawaz, every now and then, sheds crocodiles’ tears over the killing of Bugti, himself a callous murderer, but keeps mum over the deaths of innocent Punjabis in Baluchistan. He spares no opportunity to condemn the Pakistan Armed Forces but never condemns the butchers of Balochistan and never sympathises with the bereaved Punjabi families. Perhaps he is right in doing so as Bugti was his equal whereas poor Punjabis are not.

@Zzzz:
Please check history. It was our Army which killed Bengalis at point blank and directly. And after shooting they use to laugh. The dynamics in Baluchistan are quite different. Learning from history requires reading the history. How many dead bodies were brought to West Pakistan then and how many dead bodies are brought to Punjab today. How many shias were killed in East Pakistan then and how many are killed today all over the country today. Court can only give justice, it is to be implemented by Administration. Our administration is The personal servant to Sardars, Waderas, Khans and Chaudries and their own kind. Things will go from bad to worse because our diagnosis is tainted. Prescription is as effective as the diagnosis. Wait for another East Pakistan.

I don’t think that the killing of poor Punjabis and Pashtuns using the land route in Baluchistan to smuggle themselves illegally into Europe helps the cause of anyone. Frankly this smacks of just another desperate attempt by Indian supported criminals to kill innocent Pakistanis and then to paint it as a Baluch attack.

India is supporting and sponsoring these terrorist acts inside Pakistan. It’s time to say goodbye to aman ki asha. We want government to use all mean necassary to establish peace in the country and we want Occupied Kashmir issue back on table. Enough dealing with enemies of Pakistan.

Why are we accusing India or Afghanistan, they are declared enemies, they will do anything they can to harm us (so we do with them). Its Baluch who are killing Punjabi, Muhajir and Kashmiri settlers in Baluchistan and they are killing innocent people day-in-day-out.

Enough is Enough. We Punjabis are not that weeks they might have perceived us. Its a high time now to respond these Baluch killers in the same coin, if we Punjabi are supposed to be cursed at the end of the day…so, lets earn some curse this time. for the first time i find some rational in what Musharaf did with them,

In fact, Musharaf recognized them much earlier than us. Yes, Musharaf is widely ‘cursed’ for his deeds. but, he has earned that cursed. when these Baluch fired a rocket on his Helicopter near Kohlu district, Musharaf hit them back them right in their home.on contrary We Punjabis are being cursed for every thing in Baluchistan and yet we are getting killed.
Its time to hit back… Gen. Keyani

i completely agree with @Pakistani Agnostic and @sehr siddiqui. @zzzz needs to study history well before making baseless comments…. this is a condemnable act and genuine baloch insurgents cant be involved. baloch liberation tigers a n unheard group seems a bit suspicious, its being used to damage baloch resistance movement..

@Pakistani Agnostic: It seems you not dont believe in God and with it your believe on humanity is over as well. You semms to be happy on the killing of Punjabis in Balochistan and telling the rationale that it is alright. I think you should be ashamed of yourself

@mr. righty rightist:
Yes you are quite right. It was a Muslim army which entered from India and occupied E.Pakistan. It was Muslim Government in West Bengal which trained Mukti Bahni for fighting against Pakistan. Yes every country faces rebellious situation. For example, in East Punjab Akali Dal, a separatist party, swept the General Elections. India, instead of cancelling these elections and without resorting to genocide of Sikhs, not only accepted the results of these elections, but also granted independence to Skhs and now East Punjab is a sovereign country like Bangladesh. Isn’t it true??????????????????????????????

@Sehr.Siddiqui: Indian army has also massacred thousands of Kashmiris, in Kashmir, resorted to genocide in East Punjab and Nagalad to quell popular rebellion, but this didn’t lead to creation of sovereign countries, like Kashmir, Khalistan or Nagaland unlike E.Pakistan why???????????????????

@Zzzz:
It is not least comparable with E.Pakistan. In Balauchistan the rebels completely lack public support, as these handful armed agents of India are unable to win a` single seat in general elections.